Superhero films are all the rage these days but before they became the toast of Hollywood superheroes were first celebrated by the video game world. During the 80s video game designers realized they could profit by putting famous comic book superheroes into video game, so the likes of Batman, The Cap, and Superman all got their own video games and helped kick off the superhero craze well before the film industry.
Unfortunately, like video games being turned into films, there are way more terrible superhero video games than great ones. For some reason, developers have been unable to consistently capture the magic of the superhero world and re-create it in a video game setting. While the games have certainly improved over the past decade, more often than not when a superhero-themed game gets released fans hold their breath, unsure of what to expect. Over the years there have been dozens of failed attempts, including the disastrous X-Men: Destiny and almost unplayable Superman 64, and this article will highlight the worst of the bunch while also detailing 10 of the best, just to give you a little hope.
30 Lamest: Catwoman
Released in 2004 to coincide with the film of the same name, Catwoman is just as bad to play as it is watching the film of the same name. The movie stars Halle Berry who somehow went from winning an Oscar for terrific drama Monster’s Ball to donning a tight leather catsuit for this horrible film adaptation. As far as the game goes, kudos to Argonaut Games for at least getting Berry’s likeness spot on. Unfortunately this is the only positive about Catwoman, with the action-adventure game containing a difficult to master control system alongside ever-changing camera angles that will quickly make you nauseous. You spend most of the time trying to navigate a poorly designed world fighting all manner of goofy looking bad guys following a plot loosely based on the film. If there’s ever a game to use as an example of how not to make a video game/film tie-in, this is it.
29 Lamest: Superman 64
When Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 in 1996 it changed the face of video game technology and gave the Japanese company a new stranglehold on the market. Knowing they needed to release a diverse collection of games to keep fans entertained, Nintendo managed to secure the license to a number of high profile properties, releasing a string of 64 exclusives games, including the fantastic first-person shooter GoldenEye 007 and racing game Mario Kart 64. Nintendo also got their hands on Superman: The Animated Series and decided to make a game based upon the red-caped superhero to demonstrate how great the 64 is.
Anyone who’s played the game knows it was a huge misstep by Nintendo and developer Titus Interactive.
Superman 64 has gone down as one of the worst games of all time thanks to its clunky graphics, awful controls, and terrible soundtrack that never seems to change tempo. Trying to navigate Superman through the air is like trying to steer a Mack Truck without power steering. The development team blamed interference from DC Comics and Warner Brothers for the games poor performance, but no matter the reasons, Superman 64 is one game you want to avoid.
28 Best: X-Men
Few early 90s arcade games are as much fun to play as Konami’s side-scrolling beat ’em up X-Men. The game has a simple premise; pick from six of your favourite X-Men characters (Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and bizarrely, Dazzler) and fight your way through colorful levels of bad guys on the way to a final showdown with Magneto. X-Men is your typical arcade button basher but the lack of diversity in attacks didn’t detract from the joy of battling against hordes of Sentinels and Reavers.
The game was available for a brief time to download on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network along with iOS and Android ports, but ongoing legal issues means the game now only exists in arcade form.
27 Lamest: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The open world experience of The Amazing Spider-Man video game had gamers frothing at the mouth when it was released in 2012. A tie-in with the movie of the same name, the game allows players to control the web-slinger as he battles criminals across New York. Similar to the recent Batman Arkham series of releases it’s an enjoyable game that stays close to the mythology of the Spider-Man character. The sequel, on the other hand, is the total opposite. Gone is the intriguing and emotional storyline, thrilling missions, and detailed open world, replaced by a boring paint by numbers game based upon the film.
The biggest gripe with this game is the graphics.
Released two years after The Amazing Spider-Man, this sequel somehow looks worse and contains a number of annoying glitches that effect gameplay.
26 Lamest: Watchman: The End Is Nigh
Taking place before the events of the film adaptation, Watchman: The End Is Nigh disregards the symbolism and intricate plot details of the comic in favor of a stock standard beat ’em up that does nothing to further the mythology of the Watchman universe. Playing as either Rorschach or Nite Owl players battle through repetitive levels featuring boring bad guys and dodgy graphics. This downloadable game smells like a money making exercise from Warner Brothers, and considering Moore wanted nothing to do with the project, it’s safe to say Watchman: The End Is Nigh is another horrible superhero cash-in game and well worth a place on this list.
25 Best: Lego Marvel Superheros
Lego themed video games have proven to be winners over the years. From Star Wars to Harry Potter, every successful film franchises that’s been turned into a Lego game has been a hit and Lego Marvel Superheroes is no different. Following the previous Lego games, Marvel Superheroes is part action adventure, part puzzle solving.
The game ties in many different Marvel characters and stories in one fun-filled romp that remains the highest selling Lego game of all time.
As with all Lego games, the best part is exploring the world created and finding secret areas and causing as much destruction as possible. The humour is also spot on, with the game providing many laughs, particularly during the well rendered cut scenes.
24 Lamest: Aquaman: Battle For Atlantis
Aquaman is one of those comic book characters who can be great but in the wrong hands is often wasted. The majority of the game takes place underwater as you take control of the hook-wearing Aquaman and defend his kingdom from all manner of evil doers. The look of the game’s horrendous and similarities with Superman 64 are evident, with the blocky, pixel looking environments making it hard to concentrate.
With the upcoming solo Aquaman film set to hit theatres at the end of the year, there’s finally a chance for DC to create a video game that gives the underwater warrior a shot at redemption.
23 Lamest: The Flash
In 1990 DC superhero The Flash got his very own television series that unfortunately didn’t live to expectations. The show lasted one season before it was axed, although that didn’t stop a video game based on the show being developed.
Released two years after the series went off air, The Flash is a platform style game that only got a general release in Europe, making it high on collectors lists of must-own games. However, sadly it feels like you’re playing Sonic The Hedgehog, with The Flash’s excessive speed meaning it’s easy to jump to far or overshot your landing.
22 Best: Spider-Man 2
I’ve never been a big Spider-Man fan but even I have to admit Spider-Man 2 is an awesome game to play. Based on the Sam Raimi’s decent film of the same name, Spider-Man 2 is a step up from the previous release and features an open-world New York for players to explore. Web-slinging through Manhattan has never been more enjoyable and the detail of the city is fantastic, with many different areas to explore. The open world allows you to follow the storyline or take part in side missions while the different assortment of bad guys and supervillains living in the city means there’s always someone looking for a fight.
21 Lamest: Fantastic Four
The 90s was a bad time for comic book video game adaptations. Every developer thought they could make a quick buck turning a superhero into a video game but the majority of releases sucked, including Acclaim’s take on the Fantastic Four. Released on the PlayStation in 1997, this game’s almost worse than the recent Fantastic Four film that dropped in 2015. The side scrolling beat ’em up finds the Fantastic Four battling various enemies across numerous levels before a showdown with big baddie Dr. Doom.
Many of the levels are also quite short, so longevity is not a strong point.
The best part about Fantastic Four is the car racing mini-game between loading screens. When the mini-game’s the clear highlight it’s safe to say Fantastic Four failed to connect with players.
20 Lamest: Iron Man 2
The first Iron Man flick was an entertaining joyride that helped established the Marvel universe and gave comic book fans their first authentic superhero experience in years. When Iron Man 2 hit screens it didn’t live up to the expectations of the first film but was fun enough to keep most fans happy. The same can’t be said for the video game tie-in that’s somehow simultaneously worse than the film and the first Iron Man video game adaptation. The game is beset with problems, from lackluster graphics through to easy missions and a poor combat system. While you did have the choice to play as either Iron Man or War Machine, there wasn’t much difference between the two aside from the way they look. It seems developers SEGA forgot you are supposed to make the follow-up game better, not worse.
19 Best: The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The Hulk is the ideal superhero for a video game. As Bruce Banner, he’s a mild manner scientist but when he transforms into The Hulk he becomes an incredibly strong monster who can destroy just about anything in his path. After numerous Hulk games received negative reviews from critics and fans alike, developer Radical Entertainment got things right with The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. In the game you take control of Hulk in an open world setting where the big green monster can interact with the environment, meaning you can smash just about anything!
18 Lamest: Batman: Dark Tomorrow
The recent spate of Batman games have been some of the best superhero video games ever released. The trilogy of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight have revitalized the vigilante cape crusader while invigorating the superhero genre. But before this there was a string of failed releases and Batman: Dark Tomorrow tops the list. First envisioned as a massive open-world game faithful to the comics, Dark Tomorrow ended up being a boring linear stealth game that bombed upon release. It’s hard to know where to start with how incredibly poor this game is.
17 Lamest: Silver Surfer
The game’s incredibly difficult, thanks in no part to the size of Silver Surfer. The pixelated character appears massive on the screen compared to many of the enemies encountered, making it virtually impossible for enemies not to hit him with attacks. You have to possess super quick reflexes to maneuver Silver Surfer through the levels to avoid being hit. Did I mention it also only took one hit from an enemy or some floating to eliminate Silver Surfer and force you to restart the level? The game is very much in the mold of Castlevania but about 10 times harder and with less better visuals.
16 Best: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The less said about the standalone Wolverine film the better, but thankfully the video game adaptation turned out much better. Influenced by a host of third-person games (God Of War, Bayonetta, Devil May Cry) X-Men Origins: Wolverine finds players taking control of Wolverine in a game that spans multiple years and takes parts from both the film of the same name and plot points from the comic series.
15 Lamest: X-Men: Destiny
There have been a multitude of X-Men related video games released over the years but none managed to shut down a studio like X-Men: Destiny. Silicon Knights, the developers responsible for the catastrophic rush release of X-Men: Destiny went out of business due to the game’s reception. You can read all about X-Men: Destiny’s troubled past at Kotaku but if you’ve ever played the game you’ll understand why was such a failure when it hit shelves in 2011.
The first thing that bothered fans was the inability to play as any of the X-Men. Instead of taking control of Wolverine, Cyclops, or Storm, you play as a new mutant whose powers you develop over course the of game. This is quite an interesting idea that could have worked if not for the fact you had to play through repetitious levels button smashing your controller against boring enemies to have any chance of leveling up.
14 Lamest: The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga
The title of this game alone is enough to warrant a place on this list but The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga also has many other horrible features. Released on the PlayStation, PC, and Sega Saturn the side-scrolling action-adventure game is based on the storyline it takes its name from. Hulk finds himself trapped in a research facility and must smash his way out. The bad news is players find themselves traversing similar levels where they would have to smash control panels and boxes in order to make their way to the next part of the game. I’ll leave the final word to GameSpot who summed up The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga best with this last line of their review; “Sadly though, there is no salvation for The Incredible Hulk - its dreadful mix of low-quality graphics, sound, and gameplay will leave players green with disgust.”
13 Best: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
What’s better than a superhero game with one awesome character? How about a superhero game featuring 22 of the best characters in one game that are all playable! That’s exactly what Marvel: Ultimate Alliance allows you to do. Creating a team of four heroes from a list that includes Black Panther, Wolverine, Storm, and Ghost Rider, players are able to pick their dream superhero team and battle against all manner of evil doers in this action adventure role-playing epic. The graphics and sound are great and the interesting storyline includes some of the best Marvel villains, including Galactus, Loki, Bullseye, and Doctor Doom. The game features over 140 different Marvel characters, and although your favorite might not be playable, there’s no doubt they’ll show up at some stage during the game.
12 Lamest: Thor: God Of Thunder
Rushed to release to coincide with the film’s debut, Thor suffers from bad graphics, horrible gameplay, and repetitive missions whereby Thor has to smash and crash everything he comes in contact with. Both stars of the film, Aussie Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Englishman Tom Hiddleston (Loki) lend their likeness and voices to the characters in the game but neither manage to capture their true likeness, looking like dodgy recreations. The game also has a number of glitches that make playing the game difficult and added to the low sales of the title when it hit shelves in 2011. The failure of Thor: God Of Thunder has meant the hammer-wielding God has yet to appear in a sequel.
11 Lamest: Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men
One of the earliest superhero games on this list, Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men was released in 1989 and based upon the long-running comic book series of the same name. The NES game involves various missions whereby you control one of the X-Men (Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, or Iceman) to take out the bad guys and defeat the end of level boss (Boomerang, Sabretooth, Juggernaut, The White Queen, and finally Magneto). It sounds good on paper but when playing didn’t equate to that much fun. The characters are rendered similar to the backgrounds and often blend in, making it hard to see your enemies or where you are on the screen.
